dicovering the mystery in the mundane; a sacramental journey

Posts Tagged ‘New Year’

Did you finish out your year or did your year just end? Usually in December one can find many television programs reflecting on the past year. I myself am a January man. Reflection, however, comes at a cost if done properly. It would be easy for me to look back at my major accomplishments. It would also take less time. The difficulty comes in recognizing the areas that were not as glamorous or even flat out mundane.

I don’t mean to say that we need to dwell on these issues. This isn’t a time for self-flagellation. Feeling sorry for yourself or even feeling guilty does little to remedy the issue. Let those feelings lead you to the important part; what are you going to do about it?

I was watching ESPN, one of my new things this past year that I am fairly certain has led to more hair on my chest. Quite frequently ESPN has these mini inspirational commercials during playoff and bowl season. Some man with a rich baritone voice philosophizes about the connection between the battle on the field and the battle in our life. They spout moving phrases that seem almost Shakespearean that if spoken by any other man would sound like Al Franken reading “Deep Thoughts by Jack Handy”.

Recently, while watching Sports Center… again… the same day, I caught a phrase they used while showing highlights of the Auburn/Oregon game. The announcer said, “endings are imposed, finishings are celebrated”.

Once I got over the shock that an ESPN commercial made me think deeply about something, I started reflecting on my year. How did my year end? What things did I celebrate finishing and what things had an imposed ending? In reflexion I discovered that the things that simply ended, I invested little in. They simply dissipated. It wasn’t that they were things that did not work. Failing or losing is not an imposed end. Not trying, not investing, not swinging, those are examples of endings. If you have ever watched baseball or basketball you know that there is nothing worse than watching a game end with the losing team resting a bat on their shoulder or the ball still in their hand. That is an imposed ending.

Finishing, however, is swinging for the fences. It is striving for that goal. Check out this video clip of this Chinese hurdler.

He finished. It wasn’t pretty, it wasn’t graceful, not ever sure it was legal, but he didn’t quit! When I think back at the things I am most proud of this past year, it was the things I was intentional about. Think about the phrase, “he went out swinging”. Swinging takes purpose. You don’t accidentally swing a bat. When you swing that bat, it is filled with purpose and intention. You are invested. What is amazing about intentionality, it has nothing to do with greatness and bigness but with purposefulness. Did your year finish with purpose or did it end accidentally. Now that is over, how will this year proceed?